The present invention relates to a novel and useful release mechanism for multiple containers adjacent to one another.
Many container packaging systems have been devised to hold cans or bottles in a four-pack, six-pack, or the like. In the past, sleeves made of a paper or cardboard have been devised to create a pocket to support such items.
In more recent times, plastic matrices having a plurality of rings or collars have been employed to hold the individual cans or bottles together and permit the release of the same by the use of perforations or slits.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,504,790, 4,064,989, 4,518,081, 5,016,750, 5,178,266, 5,193,673, 5,209,346, 5,255,780, 5,265,718, and 5,269,406 describe this general system of holding cans or bottles together in a pack.
Unfortunately, the tabs or pulls devised with such containers are not always employed leaving closed rings which are considered to be environmentally unsafe.
A release mechanism for multiple containers which leaves an open remnant would be a notable advance in the field of packaging.